Our Solution to a Growing Problem

Thu Oct 28, 2010

Facts About Plantar Fasciitis:

What is the Plantar Fascia?

The plantar fascia is a band of tissue, much like a tendon, that starts at your heel and goes along the bottom of your foot. It attaches to each one of the bones that form the ball of your foot. The plantar fascia works like a rubber band between the heel and the ball of your foot to form the arch of your foot. If the band is short, you'll have a high arch, and if it's long, you'll have a low arch, what some people call flatfeet. A pad of fat in your heel covers the plantar fas-cia to help absorb the shock of walking. Damage to the plantar fascia can be a cause of heel pain.

What causes the heel pain?

As a person gets older, the plantar fascia becomes less like a rubber band and more like a rope that doesn't stretch very well. The fat pad on the heel becomes thinner and can't absorb as much of the shock caused by walking. The extra shock damages the plantar fascia and may cause it to swell, tear or bruise. You may notice a bruise or swelling on your heel. Due to our culture’s lifestyle, younger people are experiencing this painful condition every day.

Other risk factors for plantar fasciitis include:

Overweight and obesity

Diabetes

Spending most of the day on your feet

Becoming very active in a short period of time

Being flat-footed or having a high arch

Doctors’ response to Plantar Fasciitis:

How will my doctor know if the pain I have is caused by plantar fasciitis?

Your doctor will ask you about the kind of pain you're having, when it occurs and how long you've had it. If you have pain in your heel when you stand up for the first time in the morning, you may have plantar fasciitis. Most people with plantar fasciitis say the pain is like a knife or a pin sticking into the bottom of the foot. After you've been standing for a while, the pain becomes more like a dull ache. If you sit down for any length of time, the sharp pain will come back when you stand up again.

What advice is currently given to patients who suffer from this condition?

If you walk or run a lot, cut back a little. You probably won't need to stop walking or running altogether. If you have either flatfeet or a high arch, ask your doctor about using inserts for your shoes called orthotics. Orthotics are arch supports. You will need to be fitted for them. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lessen your heel pain. If your job involves standing on a hard floor or standing in one spot for long periods, place some type of padding on the floor where you stand.

Overview of the problem:

Thousands of people are diagnosed with plantar fasciitis every year right here in the lower mainland. There is very little in the way of hands-on treatment for plantar fasciitis that provides any sort of relief. Once diagnosed with this painful condition it rarely goes away on its own and expensive orthotics although may relieve the symptoms in some patients in the long run actually make the overall health of the foot worse. Exercise and loosing weight is useful yet most often not followed.

Patients are missing work, taking pharmaceuticals for pain, and the condition is preventing them form enjoying their life.

Health plans are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for orthotics, short and long term disability payouts, pharmaceuticals, and other non-plantar fasciitis specific alternative health care treatments.

The Opportunity:

Design a treatment plan that restores the foot to its natural healthy condition that can be recommended by health care professionals and provides an immediate and long term benefit to the patient.

At our centre we deliver a treatment combining reflexology which releases all blockages in the body resulting in proper and healthy function with a fascia Rolfing technique which breaks apart scar tissue and adhesions, brings circulation into an area which has very little to begin with and supports new healthy tissue growth.

We educate our patients on how to prevent the plantar fasciitis from reoccurring. We teach them arch strengthening and lengthening exercises which will result in arches which are strong and thus no longer collapsing due to our life-style which typically weakens the feet.

We have over 7 years of proven success with our patients experiencing dramatic results

How is this different from other alternative health care providers like chiropractors & message therapists?

To accurately and effectively treat plantar fasciitis a therapist needs to work on the targeted area for up to 45 minutes per treatment. This is a Plantar Fascia-targeted deep tissue technique which is not performed by other practitioners, unlike the more, broad spectrum treatment of these alternative health care providers. Our team of Professionals expe-rience many successes with the targeted work as we move forward in treating and helping many more people over-come this condition.

Professional Reflexology Therapists:

Health Roots Plantar Fasciitis & Reflexology Therapists are all “Registered Canadian Reflexology Therapists” a professional designation for Reflexologist in Canada. (This is a relatively new, and very professional commitment and designation in Canada).

Medical Plan coverage Update:

Blue Cross in Manitoba is covering the services of Registered Canadian Reflexology Therapists, as well as a hand full of group plans with other companies so far. As more and more people everyday are experiencing the positive and health-supporting effects of a Health Roots Plantar Fasciitis & Reflexology Centre they are demanding through peti-tions and letters that this life changing treatment be covered.

Author: Robin Vorauer, REGISTERED CANADIAN REFLEXOLOGY THERAPIST

For further comments please contact Robin at (604) 881-1133 or by e-mail at info@healthroots.ca